The Uninvited: A Review

I have tried, and failed, a few times to get my hands on this interesting looking book. I struggled to secure a reading copy from the publisher and the copy I got through as a digital proof was packed full of errors, so I was ecstatic when I saw it in the local library and as such snapped it up and ran off to read it snuggled under a blanket with a mug of hot Ribena. The Uninvited is Liz Jensen's eighth novel, and this is my first encounter with her writing. I am still not entirely sure what I thought of this novel, it leaves you feeling a touch mystified, maybe in keeping with the supernatural elements that this novel explores.

Terrible events are starting to occur all over the world, in short, children are killing their loved ones. At first cases seem to be isolated and under control, however, as time passes, more and more incidents indicate that the world is facing a terrible pandemic. Shortly after the first murder Hesketh is called out to investigate a mysterious business sabotage, a case which begins his journey into a more spiritual and terrifying world than he could have ever expected. Soon, parallels emerge between the murderous children and Hesketh's cases, parallels that force him to question the very basis of reality and how powerless human beings really are.

The first chapter of this novel is utterly compelling, it's fast paced and draws us straight into a vicious attack administered by a child with a nail gun. My jaw hit the floor and I couldn't help but feel I had discovered a disturbing gem of a novel. Sadly, however, the pace slows as soon as we are introduced to the narrator and the story unfolds a little less dramatically. This is not to say the pace doesn't pick up again, believe me it does, it just takes a while to establish the looming dread needed to push this novel along.

The story itself is brilliant, I couldn't wait to discover what happened next and it forced me to indulge in the darker side of humanity, a side we are not usually encouraged to explore, especially in children. I couldn't help but think I had been drawn into a world of creepy Japanese horror, one in which the kids are the ones you should be running from. I had flashbacks from The Ring and Dark Water....not pleasant. These children really do get mean, as soon as Jensen talks about cannibalism and ritualistic violence you know this novel is not going to have a happy ending.

I will admit, in spite of the excellent story, I was not particularly taken with Hesketh as a narrator. He serves his purpose well, nonetheless, documenting the goings on of the narrative with an organised and practical view. However, he is not very likeable as a character. His frequent mishaps in social encounters are attributed to his suffering from Asperger's Syndrome, but the way in which he treats the women in this novel are hard to overlook. He is, by all accounts, just mean. His saving grace is his love for Freddy and his willingness to do anything to pull the young boy back from the precipice, even to the detriment of those around him. What is interesting is watching Hesketh's understanding of the world around him change, as the order of reality shifts to become something entirely different. It is because of his honesty and frankness that other main protagonists take his observations seriously regardless of how bonkers they appear to be.

This novel's slow, spiralling descent into madness and disorder has a deeper meaning. I felt as though there was the implication that we, as a species, are destroying the world in which we live. These terrifying, time defying spirits are brought in to try and restore a type of order, to push humanity in a different direction. It is sad that violence is the only solution on the table, and this is perhaps a comment on how we solve real life problems. Jensen does not ram this down the readers throat, but we are encouraged to at least ponder these ideas.

The turning point in this novel, which takes it from average to good, is when Hesketh witnesses a suicide in Dubai. A young girl seems to disappear into the man as he falls, this is when I knew that this novel was going to take an unexpected and exciting turn, one that would keep me hooked until the very end.

The Uninvited is a good read, not one of the best books I have picked up but one I would recommend to anyone looking for something a little bit different, rich in imagery and thoughtful. If you get a bit queasy at the thought of a child shooting a nail-gun into someone's face, I would suggest that perhaps this book is not for you because this is not the only violent outburst in the novel. As I mentioned at the start, I was left feeling mystified with a small number of unanswered questions. In the answering of these questions I don't think that The Uninvited would have left it's mark, sometimes it is just better that you don't know and this novel is a great example of that.